Governing in Volatile Times: Government Performance and Trust in Public Managers

This chapter develops multilevel models to explore the connection between government performance and trust in public servants in 22 countries for which comparable data are available. Government performance is operationalized as both an outcome and a process and at both the individual- and national-levels. The dependent variable, trust in public managers, is measured using the International Social Survey Program’s Module on the “Role of Government IV.” This survey also measures individual satisfaction with policy outcomes as well as the fairness of bureaucratic processes. National policy outcomes such as unemployment and inflation rates are included using various sources. Significantly, unlike much previous research, estimates of income inequality and poverty are also included in the analyses. The World Governance Indicators provide measures of the quality of governmental processes at the national level. Results suggest that the quality of bureaucratic processes has a substantial influence on trust regardless of outcomes. With respect to outcomes, unemployment has a consistently negative effect while inequality and poverty mediate the relationship of affluence on trust in government.